Steven Pienaar
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60%Born
1982 (42 years old)
Birth Place
Johannesburg, South AfricaPosition
Midfielder
Status
Ethnicity
Team Number
Height
1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight
67.12
Outfitter
Kit
Side
Agent
Market Value
£4,500,000
Wage Year
Player Manager ID
131397
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Sport
SoccerTeam
_Retired Soccer
2nd Team
League
_No League Soccer
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Steven Jerome Pienaar (Dutch pronunciation: ; born 17 March 1982) is a South African professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Sunderland, and was captain of the South African national team until October 2012. He primarily plays as a winger, but can also play on either the right or left wing and as an attacking midfielder. Pienaar has previously played for Ajax Cape Town, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.
Pienaar was born in Johannesburg. He started his professional career at Ajax Cape Town, some 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) away from his home in Johannesburg. He was brought to the attention of Ajax CT whilst playing for the School of Excellence and was asked to join their youth academy.
Pienaar said, "I was very fortunate to go to the School of Excellence 2000, to be able to polish the technique and the talent that God gave me and to learn how to use it in the way that God had wanted me to." "I was fortunate to work with the Dutch coach Leo van Veen, who helped me at Ajax Cape Town... He appreciated the way I played but at the same time he changed my mentality. He taught me how to prepare for games, not just playing to please the crowd but also how to play for the team."
At Ajax Cape Town, he won the Rothman's Cup after beating Orlando Pirates 4–1 in the final on 13 December 2000, his final game for the club.
Aged 18, Pienaar was brought over to the Netherlands in January 2001 but did not make his Eredivisie debut until 24 February 2002, a 1–0 victory over NAC Breda. He became a pivotal member of the Ajax team that won the Dutch League in 2002 and 2004, shining as one of Ajax's best players alongside Zlatan Ibrahimović, Maxwell, Cristian Chivu, Mido, Nigel de Jong, Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder and future Everton teammate John Heitinga. Andy van der Meyde, who had a forgettable stint at Goodison Park, was also in that squad.
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